Thanks for the reviews! It was a great surprise to see them. So... the plot thickens! Lol, I'll stop being a nerd now and let you continue reading... Song Suggestion for this chapter - Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) by Muse.
It was a restless night for Luna after the nightmare. It wasn't necessarily what had happened in the nightmare that kept her awake, tossing and turning for the few hours she had to go until she woke up, it was the fact that she had experienced a nightmare in the first place. The feeling of sweaty skin and a beating heart was out of place for the Ravenclaw and not in a good way either.
So, when she woke for her first day of classes the next morning, it was no surprise that she looked half-dead. There were dark circles under her eyes and her pale complexion seemed even more ghostly than usual. Frowning a tiny bit at her reflection in the mirror, she sighed lightly, shrugging before she finished tying her tie and pulling her hair into a loose side ponytail.
A few of the other girls in her dorm gave her a half-hearted smile as they passed, all on their way to the dining hall. It was almost as if they had known she had a nightmare and felt sorry for her. She didn't mind, however, simply smiling back with a far off look.
By the time she was seated beside Ginny, the nightmare was far from her mind and she was buttering her toast generously.
"I'm so excited for today, Luna! It's our first day of classes... I think we have Herbology first." Ginny was in bright spirits, her eyes shining with obvious enthusiasm over the fact that school had started again. Nodding absently, she took a bite of toast. "That will be nice."
Her gaze drifted down a few seats of the Gryffindor table (she had been invited to join their table by her red-headed friend) and for a few moments, she watched her friends in the Sixth year with a tiny smile. They were acting normal – Harry was laughing at Ron, who, to Hermione's disgust had two thin straws stuck up his nose, as if to resemble a walrus.
Turning back at the voice of Ginny, Luna blinked, her gray eyes lost for a moment as she tried to remember what the red-head had just said.
Noticing this, Ginny rolled her eyes and took a quick drink of pumpkin juice before repeating herself. "Did you sleep alright? You look kind of tired."
For a second, Luna's smile faltered and she glanced down at her half-eaten toast with the ghost of a frown pulling at her eyebrows. Of course she would notice. It was just like Ginny to bring out her maternal instincts at every time possible. She didn't want to lie and didn't see a reason to so she sighed lightly and shrugged.
"I had a nightmare. It might be because I ate some pudding before bed." She replied, matter-of-factly.
Ginny's happy expression melted into a worried one and she frowned, spearing a bit of her scrambled eggs before eating them, lips pursed in thought. "What was it about?" She wondered aloud not able to recall her day dreamy friend ever having a nightmare before.
"I can't recall." Luna replied, her smile returning. It wasn't a lie, either. She really didn't remember the dream all too well and as the two friends finished breakfast and headed off to Herbology, she realized she might have a bad case of Wrackspurts that were making her mind fuzzy.
After a busy day full of Herbology with Gryffindor, Charms, and Potions with the Slytherins, Luna had all but forgotten about her nightmare. Currently, she was curled up in the Ravenclaw common room beside the fireplace, her first set of Charms homework sitting on her lap.
Even though her quill was poised, like she was ready to write, her gray eyes were fixed on the fire, watching it with a small smile.
The flames were licking at the top of the stone, crackling loudly as they consumed the wood but suddenly Luna realized she could hear something else within the fire. It sounded almost like... whispering.
Intrigued, she set the blank parchment aside, leaning forward with an interested gaze. After a few moments of listening, she had been able to pick out a few words... Filth... Dirty blood... Cleanse... Must kill...
Before she could hear anymore, someone's voice interrupted her, pulling her attention away from the fire. "You alright Luna?"
It was one of the Fifth years, looking over to her with a concerned expression. Clarissa Lane was her name, Luna recalled after a few seconds of thought. Smiling a bit, she nodded, happy that the other girl showed some interest in her well being.
"I'm fine, just inspecting the fire." Luna replied, her gaze moving back to the flames. To her disappointment, there was nothing to hear anymore.
Giving her a few more seconds of a patronizing stare, Clarissa finally sighed lightly and nodded, wishing her a good night before heading off to the Fifth Year rooms, books tucked under her arm.
Much later, after forcing herself to finish her Charms essay and read the first two chapters in Magical Draughts and Potions by Libatius Borage, Luna had changed into her night gown and tucked herself deep under her covers.
Yawning lightly, she reached up and turned her lamp off, the flame dying to a small flicker. Rolling over and tucking her arm under her pillow, she couldn't help but wonder if she should be nervous. Hearing voices, even in the Wizarding world was never a good sign. She personally didn't think she was insane, although, she was told that she was by her classmates for quite a long time. But she had never had a reason to think so – until now.
'Maybe I'll ask everyone about it tomorrow...' She thought absently as sleep overtook her and dragged her down into a dreamless sleep.
Skipping along with a smile, Luna was in a delightful mood after having a night with no dreams as she made her way down to the Great Hall. Ginny hadn't met her at the corridor that they usually do but she assumed that she was probably waiting for her at the Gryffindor table.
And sure enough, all of the Weasley's hair was visible as soon as she entered the massive room, her stomach rumbling at the smell of freshly made breakfast.
The Fifth Year, Clarissa, glanced up as Luna entered, offering her a small smile and a tiny wave. Tilting her head, Luna blinked, a bit surprised that someone from her own house wanted her to sit with them. Torn between the decisions, she fiddled with her bottle cap necklace before walking over to the brown haired Ravenclaw, sitting down opposite her.
"Hello." She said simply, getting a generous amount of butter on the end of her knife before spreading it across a still warm croissant. Taking a bite, she stared at Clarissa with her usual far off look, wondering what she had wanted to say.
Returning the smile with a little less enthusiasm, Clarissa replied, "Hey... Did you sleep alright?" She wasn't eating, or perhaps had already finished, but as Luna glanced down, she noticed that the napkin had been torn into a thousand tiny pieces, indicating that she had been here awhile.
Assuming that she was only asking because she was curious if Luna had had anymore nightmares, she nodded.
"I had no nightmares. Thank you for asking."
She looked a bit surprised that her intentions were known so quickly but Clarissa simply cleared her throat and took a small drink before nodding. "Right." This was accompanied by a weak smile and an almost nervous glance towards the Slytherin table.
She didn't say anything else for a few minutes, letting Luna, who was slightly puzzled her behaviour, eat in silence. It was only once she had started on her eggs did Clarissa speak up again. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted help with... Charms homework?"
Setting her fork down, Luna blinked a few times before nodding again. "That would be nice." She agreed, grateful that the older student had offered. Even though she was intelligent and Charms wasn't the hardest class, she could always use the extra help – especially with O.W.L.S. coming up.
Not even a few seconds after she had answered did Clarissa stand up, clutching her book to her chest with a relieved look.
"Alright. I'll meet you in the abandoned classroom next to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom at five o' clock sharp." She was staring at the blonde with an almost urgent look as she continued. "Don't be late," and with that, she was gone in a flurry.